Israeli minister says Israel may have to use force to disarm Hamas

Israeli Energy Minister and member of the Security Cabinet Eli Cohen said Israel may have to use military force to disarm Hamas, expressing doubt that any international party could carry out this task.

Speaking on Sunday in a media interview with Israel’s public broadcaster Kan, Cohen said: “Either Hamas disarms voluntarily, which will not happen, or an international force moves against Hamas, but I doubt it will do so.” He added: “We will give it a chance, but it is clear to me that in the end we will be forced to do it ourselves.”

Cohen stressed that Israel is the only party capable of carrying out the disarmament mission “if necessary, by force”.

Regarding the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, Cohen said that the first phase of the deal, from Israel’s perspective, “will not be completed unless the Israeli Ran Gili returns”. He said his return is a basic condition for moving to the second phase, revealing that there are “intensive activities being carried out away from the spotlight” to achieve this goal.